Improvement in upright piano-fortes



A. HARTENSTEIN. Upright Piano-Fortes.

N0 149 307 PatentedApril7,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT IIABTENSTIN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN UPRIGHT PIANO-FORTES.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,307, dated April 7,1874; application filed June 28, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT HARTENSTEIN, of Indianapolis, in the countyof Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain Improvements inPiano-Fortes, of which the following is a specitication:

My invention relates to that class of pianos known as upright square;and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the bridge overwhich the strings pass to the tuning-pins, the objectbeing to bothcheapen the bridge, and at the same time to provide for overstringin gin such a manner as to bring the greatest practicable number of stringsto the middle of the sounding-board, as well as securing a greaterlength ot' string, and thereby greatly increasin g the tone and power otthe instrument within a small space. v

Figure lis a front elevation of the frame and sounding-board of anupright piano embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top edge view of thesaine.

A is the cast-iron frame now usually employed to sustain the strings. Bis the bridge near the top of the frame, over which the strings pass tothe tuning-pins C, the latter being arranged in the top edge ot' theframe, as shown, so as to allow the bridge B to be placed at the topedge of the trame, and thereby increase the length of the strings. Thebridge B is cast with and made part of the frame A, though it may bemade in a separate piece7 and is divided into three sections, O O' 0,constructed and arranged as clearly shown in the drawing, the sections OO having notches on the edges, as shown, through which the diagonalstrings D E pass to the tuningpins C.

The advantages claimed for this construction and arrangement of thebridge B are cheapness, together with comparative freedom from frettingof the strings where they pass through the notches.

The arrangement of the pins C possesses an additional advantage in thefacility and convenience with which they may be turned, by means of asuitable key, in tuning the instrument. The plain section O of thebridge is the part that the short strings pass over.

I claim as my invention- The bridge B, provided with the sections O O O,in combination with the frame A and tuning-pins C, all constructed andarranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT HARTENS'IEIN.

litnesses CARL J. M. KosTER, J Aeon W. LOEPER.

